


A New World

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: V for Vendetta (2005)
Genre: Epilogue, M/M, Morning After, Partnership, Police, Politics, Post-War, Revolution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-20
Updated: 2011-11-20
Packaged: 2017-10-26 09:05:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/281246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric and Dominic must face a new world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aerye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerye/gifts).



Chief Inspector Eric Finch woke up groggy, unsure of where he was. Blinking rapidly, he finally brought the world in front of his nose into focus and he realized that he was staring at the legs of his couch. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, he wobbled into his bedroom and turned off the alarm that was so insistently and shrilly ringing.

He had only been asleep for three hours, and had gotten no sleep at all the night before, but he had to be at work today. Today, the world would be in an uproar, and if he wasn't there; if he and Stone didn't steer the police forces in a proper direction, then the chaos might overwhelm them.

By all rights, he should have gone straight to the station after the explosion, but then, he should also have arrested Miss Hammond, and he didn't do that either. After watching the remains of the Parliament building burn with her, he should have immediately gone to the meeting hall to discuss the events with the other party leaders, but he couldn't bring himself to return to that horrible dark room so quickly.

Last night he had witnessed a moment that would shape the history of his world as surely as the St Mary's outbreak had, and he had let it happen. As he let that thought sink in, Eric changed out of his grimy suit and into a new one. He wished he had time for a shower, but he had already dallied too long.

He drove in to work, looking around him with new eyes; the world had changed drastically last night, but in some ways it remained the same. The huge crowd had disbanded relatively quietly – not even a broken storefront window marked their passing. The sight gave Eric more hope than he had expected – perhaps the terrorist's- no, what had Miss Hammond called him? V. Perhaps V's words had actually meant something to these people. Perhaps his wish for a changed world had not been in vain.

Eric pulled in to the lot and saw the expected number of cars; most were out patrolling. Eric strode into his office and saw Dominic Stone already there, tapping away madly at his computer. As he closed the door, Dominic looked up and smiled. There were so many unspoken thoughts in that smile; relief, regret, worry, and a hint of love. Eric knew that his own smile must have shown the same.

"I see you made it back, Sir," Dominic said. "You didn't find the right tunnel?"

Eric looked around and saw the scrambler. Shaking his head, he flipped it open. "I found it."

"Too late?" Eric could hear the sympathy in his partner's voice, and he found himself dreading the answer.

"No." I found him. Her. Them."

"Then-"

Eric cut him off. "He was dead, but she went through with it... I could have stopped her, but..." his voice trailed off as he tried to think of how to explain. Fortunately Dominic remained quiet.

"She said that he was right. That the world needed hope more than they needed a building."

"You think he was right?"

"Look at all those people. Thousands of them marched out there, peacefully, to see if he could do it. To show their support for him and his ideas. Thousands of people who wanted to see our world _change_ more than they valued their own lives."

Eric realized he was pacing and he forced himself to stop. "Creedy's soldiers could have mowed them all down before they ever even hit the barricades. They all could have been arrested, and yet they went there last night to see the world change. They needed to see this world _transformed_ more than they needed to save themselves."

"So, yes, I think maybe he was right." Eric sat down in his chair, not daring to look at his partner.

Dominic cleared his throat and then whispered. "I ordered the soldiers to stand down."

Eric's head shot up and he saw the same pride, confusion, and hope he felt echoed on the younger man's face. "You what?"

"The soldiers at the Trafalgar barrier. They couldn't raise Creedy or anyone else, and you were out of range. So I used your car radio. I said that your headset was broken, but that you had told them to stand down."

Dominic ducked his head. "I just… I didn't want to see innocent people shot, just because they wanted to see if he could actually do it."

Eric got up from his chair and crossed the room. For the first time in the office, he dared to do something he had only before done in private. He took his partner's hand and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you." he whispered into the warm neck.

Dominic cautiously wrapped his arms around his partner's waist and squeezed gently. "Thank _you_."

Eric wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding each other, but when they finally pulled away, he felt more relaxed than he ever had in his memory.

Clearing his throat, Eric sat back at his computer and thanked whatever deity was left that no one had bust into his office in the last few minutes. "So, how are patrols coming?"

Resuming his own business-like attitude, Dominic replied. "The force is out all over the city, with instructions to detain people only if they're being violent, and to bring anyone arrested here, rather than to Creedy."

"Creedy is dead." Eric replied quietly. Miss Hammond had told him that V had taken him out. The Chancellor was dead too, Eric knew.

If Creedy had been thorough about seizing the reins before facing V, then he would have needed to take out Heyer and Etheridge and their surveillance systems in order to get to the Chancellor. It was very probable that only Dascomb and Finch himself remained of the secret cabinet. Resolving to pay the former a visit later that day, Eric began to bring up the logs from the night on his screen.

"If he's... If the terrorist really... well, who's in charge now?" Dominic finally asked.

Eric considered the question carefully. "According to the Chancellor's hierarchy, probably me."

Dominic gasped softly, and Eric shot his partner a wry smile. "I have no intention of taking over this country. But something does need to be done. You said that the people have been largely non-violent?"

"Yeah. Lots of talking, lots of people just watching, but only a few small riots in other cities. Nothing here."

"Then I think it's time this country had another election." Eric decided. If he was the highest ranking party member left alive, then he was certainly going to use it to his advantage for a little longer. "Let's go pay Dascomb a visit."

Dominic grinned, and flipped the scrambler closed, tucking it back into his desk. Before Eric opened the office door, he caught Dominic's hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze. They shared one more look - longing, hope, expectation, love - before letting go.

Straitening his shoulders, Eric opened the door, finally ready to face a new world.


End file.
